Baby, it’s warm inside

St. Mary’s School hosted another memorable annual Winter Warm-Up on Saturday

A NYONE IN THESE PARTS KNOWS A MAJOR COLD FRONT CAME THROUGH THE AREA LAST WEEK, sending temperatures into the teens. But another one hit at The Caboose just this past Saturday night, and she is known only as Elsa. You might know her as Katie Lanoue, who bore a striking resemblance to the “Frozen” character at Saturday’s 4th Annual St. Mary’s School Winter Warm-Up at The Caboose. But her arctic spell was no match for the warmth provided by her St. Mary’s brethren, who donned some special attire themselves. With the men wearing Hawaiian shirts and shades, and the ladies sporting faux-grass skirts, there was no way Elsa’s wintry aura stood a chance. “It’s no coincidence that the weather has been much colder lately — ugh!” said emcee John Lanoue. “I wish we could warm up like we did last week. This cold weather could only be blamed on two unexpected guests that arrived in the Tracy area this past week.”

Those guests were Elsa and Olaf, who made their way to the stage from the back of the banquet room to the “Frozen” theme song, “Let it Snow.”

The night changed gears when “Wipeout” and “Surfin’ USA” were played as the beach-clad group made their way to the stage to dance and play their ukuleles.

Winter Warm-Up is an annual affair designed to raise money for the school, and St. Mary’s has reaped the benefits thanks to its sponsors — there were 30 more this year than in 2025 — and generous donors, including dozens of SMS alumni.

“The various level of support for our Catholic school and students is so great — we have some truly awesome people who support us,” said Lanoue. “There’s an old saying, ‘Giving is not just about making a donation, giving is about making a difference. All of the event sponsors and silent auction donors have helped create this event for us now and into the future, and we’re grateful for all their support.”

Lanoue recognized all of the SMS staff and administration, as well as Becky Johnson, the area faith community administrator, and Father Steve and Father Andy.

Besides online, live and silent auctions, the event included raffles, and number of games, including “Reverse Bingo,” and the “Dessert Dash”, featuring delectable homemade desserts, and the Snowflake Drawing, where five winners were brought to the stage to claim a major prize. In a twist, Lanoue had the lucky attendees take part in a dance-off to determine the first-place winner.

Much to the delight of the audience, the five showed off their moves, but unfortunately for them, that was just Lanoue playing with them. Ultimately, all the winners had to do was break open a fake coconut to unveil a cattle tag; the color corresponded with the prize.

Elsa herself drew the names of the lucky contestants, who were each escorted to the stage by one of SMS’s “Hula Girls.”

There was also another friendly fight for the coveted “Golden Shovel,” and this year’s bidding had a unique twist, as former winner Reid Kimball made his bids remotely. Kassidy Arnold was the conduit between Kimball and the Warm-Up, holding his phone to the mic, so all could hear Kimball’s bid. The SMS father was up against Gary Johns, and the two teamed up to push the final bid to $2,450. That was just a portion of the more than $114,000 raised Saturday for the school.

Volunteers for the event also includes former SMS students, who sold raffle tickets and helped buss tables.

“What started out on a bar tab and a drink napkin has turned into this, and it grows every year,” Lanoue said before thanking Winter Warm-Up Committee members. “All these people have volunteered in one way or another. They’ve worked tirelessly for the last year putting this event together. Getting them into costume tonight is one example of how willing this group is to do whatever it takes to make the event successful for our school.”